John Adams (general)

John Adams (1 July 1825-30 November 1864) was a Brigadier-General of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, commanding a brigade in the Army of Tennessee until his death at the Battle of Franklin.

Biography
John Adams was born in Nashville, Tennessee, United States on 1 July 1825 to an Irish immigrant family, and he graduated from West Point in 1846, 25th in his class. He served in the US Army dragoons during the Mexican-American War and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Minnesota state militia. After Tennessee joined the Confederate States of America in early 1861, Adams resigned his commission and joined the Confederate States Army, replacing Lloyd Tilghman as a brigade commander in 1863. Adams served entirely in the Western Theater of the war, and he was conspicuous during the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. In November, he fought at the Battle of Franklin, and he rode on a horse and attempted to rally his men. However, he was pinned down under his horse afte rbeing wounded with nine bullets, and Union soldiers gave him a cotton pillow and some water as Adams lay dying. Adams gallantly thanked the Union troops and told them that it was the fate of a soldier to die for his country, and he died from his wounds.